Blazing Duality
by Dysfunctional Insanity
Summary: To sum up her experience with the other Tenno in one word, Ember would choose neglected. That all changes when Ember is chosen for a vital mission. (My friend asked me to write a Warframe fanfiction. I agreed. I have no cover image for this yet, and I haven't finished, so expect eventual updates.)


"And who, _fearless leader_, will be sent on this mission?" Chroma asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice. Excalibur looked at Chroma in annoyance. "I have not decided this yet. We have to move quickly, before we lose this chance."

The Tenno, gathered around the war table, started to discuss the possible options for the mission. "Ember," a quiet voice stated, silencing all discussion. The handful of Tenno turned to look at Harrow, the priest standing with his arms behind his back. Mesa went to say something that was likely snide and insulting, but Excalibur held up his hand to stop her. "I agree with Harrow," he said, ignoring the number of annoyed voices.

"Every one of us here has gone on multiple missions. Some of us on every mission," Excalibur said, briefly glancing at Trinity. "This does not apply to Ember. Have any of you noticed that Ember is almost never seen outside of her orbiter or the training rooms?" There was a collection of mumbled agreements from the other Tenno. "This meeting is over. Go back to what you were doing."

* * *

Ember looked over at Excalibur as he walked through the door of the training room and pulled Silva from the chest of a training bot. "You need something?" she asked bluntly. "Got a mission for you," Excalibur said. Ember raised an eyebrow and deactivated her weapon, Aegis collapsing into its compact form, both the shield and blade extinguishing.

Ember pointed the hilt of Silva at Excalibur. "In the entire time I've been here, you lot have sent me on three missions. THREE! The last mission I went on was nearly two years ago!" the orange-haired warrior stated, glaring angrily at Excalibur. Excalibur crossed his arms and stared the angry fire-wielder down. "The majority of missions we go on are time-sensitive or stealth. You aren't the best with either of those. Whenever we do a mission that you can go on, nobody is willing to allow you to join the squad. Be angry with your fellow Tenno, not me."

Ember grumbled angrily and put Silva in its sheath. "Take the high road if you want, I don't care." Excalibur chuckled and motioned for Ember to follow him. Ember grabbed Ignis from a nearby workbench and dashed after the unspoken leader of the Tenno. When Ember caught up with him, Excalibur was nearing the command center of the dojo. "This is an important mission." Excalibur stopped in front of the door to the command center.

Ember looked at Excalibur in confusion. "You might be wondering why I don't go myself, but I've decided to trust this to you. You're being sent to Ceres to rescue another Tenno. The Grineer are attempting to gain control over them and we can't allow that. In order to have the best chance of success, three other attack teams will be sent to different parts of Ceres to cause distractions. Get in, get the Tenno, and get out as fast as possible." Excalibur stared Ember down, intent on letting her know how serious the mission was.

Ember looked at Excalibur with a deadpan expression. "You just said I wasn't the best at stealth. If that's the case, then why are you sending me on a stealth mission?" Excalibur smirked. "I'm giving you the perfect chance to prove me wrong. Are you sure you don't want to take it?" Ember hastily corrected herself. "You'll need either a silenced weapon or something you can be stealthy with."

Ember raised an eyebrow at Excalibur and pointed to her hair, which was _literally_ on fire. Excalibur was quiet for a few moments. "...Bring Shade as well."

* * *

Ember stood in front of the armory, scanning the near-overwhelming amount of weapons, ignoring Shade hovering slightly above her. "Having trouble picking something for stealth?" a new voice questioned, and Ember turned to see the resident intelligence gatherer, Banshee. Ember nodded.

Banshee laughed. "Pick anything. I can help you." Ember looked back at the massive selection and grabbed a gun from the options before her. A red and black version of a standard semi-automatic rifle that used to be used commonly among the Tenno.

"The Wraith variant of Latron. Solid choice. Now give," Banshee said, jerking the gun from Ember's hand before she could react. Banshee walked over to a workbench and tossed the gun onto it, immediately fiddling with it. After a few minutes, Banshee pulled the gun off the workbench and tossed it to Ember. "Give it a few test shots."

Ember stepped towards the range, a target automatically popping up. Taking aim, Ember fired the gun twice, looking at weapon in shock as it made no noise. Her shock grew as the target started to melt, a sign of the gun inflicting some kind of radiation. Banshee laughed at Ember's reaction.

"I forgot that you never use anything besides fire. Not only does radiation cause serious damage, it scrambles the brains of anything you shoot. Shoot an enemy and they'll start shooting anything, including their own allies." Ember raised an eyebrow at Banshee, removing the empty clip and placing a full one back into the gun. After a moment of hesitation, Ember handed Ignis and Silva to Banshee with a hopeful expression.

Banshee's laughter was heard throughout the base that day.

* * *

Ember was sitting in a kneeling position in front of her orbiter when Excalibur found her. Her hair was dim, meaning she was deep in meditation. Excalibur kneeled down next to Ember, meditating with her. After a few minutes, Ember slowly opened her eyes, their orange glow dim like her hair. "Excalibur." Said Tenno nodded and stood up. "Why?" Excalibur looked at Ember with a confused expression. "Why meditate with me? I am not peaceful at all."

Excalibur smiled slightly. "It matters not how peaceful you are. Meditating with other people can strengthen your bond with them. The mission starts soon. Make sure you've prepared properly." Ember stood up and extended a hand to Excalibur. "Walk with the Void, brother." Shocked, Excalibur accepted the handshake and watched as Ember walked into her orbiter.

Ember's Cephalon was waiting for her when she stepped inside her orbiter. "**_How wonderful to see you, Operator._**" Ember placed Ignis on her workbench and entered Navigation. "Hello Icarus. Is everything functional?" Icarus's chosen shape formed above the navigation console, blinking as he spoke. "_**Of course, Operator. Icarus has set the navigation to Ceres, as per Operator Excalibur's request,**_" Icarus's silken voice stated. "Good. I trust you to get us there safely. Who all is on this mission?"

Ember crossed her arms as she assessed the Tenno traveling to Ceres. "_**Operators Excalibur, Harrow, Chroma, Inaros, Saryn, and Oberon are leading an assault on a main cloning and manufacturing facility. Operators Banshee and Ash are to break into multiple data vaults and retrieve any information they can. Operators Atlas, Loki, Ivara, and Nezha are waiting on standby as backup. It is your job to quietly infiltrate a facility and rescue an imprisoned Tenno.**_"

Ember glanced at the star chart. It would take a few hours to get to Ceres. "I'm going to meditate while we travel. Notify me when we get close to Ceres," Ember instructed her Cephalon. "_**Of course, Operator. May your meditation be peaceful.**_"

* * *

Ember winced at the sound of the grate crashing to the floor loudly. Waiting a few seconds to check if any Grineer heard, Ember dropped down, Latron Wraith in her hands. "I've made it in the base Icarus. Activate cloaking and get out of here." Ember glanced around the room she was in, taking note of a few crates. Opening one, Ember's eyes widened a bit seeing a rather large amount of credits. Ember grabbed the credits, watching as they were transferred to her stash in her orbiter.

Ember held up her palm, a digital map appearing. "Right hallway. Fourth door on the left. Should be my target." Moving to the side of the door to her right, Ember opened it, peeking slightly to check for Grineer in the hall. There were two Grineer patrolling. One further down, and one walking this way. Ember raised Latron Wraith and fired, killing the further Grineer. The approaching Grineer gave no sign of noticing the death of his comrade, content to patrol. Ember fired twice, dropping him.

Giving a signal to Shade and waiting for the invisibility to activate, Ember dashed through the hall, opening the door to see a massive room filled with Grineer. Ember moved at a slow and quiet pace, taking care as to not alert any Grineer as she progressed through the massive room. Freezing as a Manic stepped into the room, twitching, Ember held her breath. The Manic walked into the room more, twitching as it did so. Going still, the Manic suddenly lunged at a trooper walking by and pinned it to the ground, stabbing it repeatedly. Using the commotion caused by the rest of the Grineer shooting the Manic, Ember ran for the door she needed.

When the door closed behind her, a lockdown starting almost instantly after, Ember exhaled in relief, her invisibility dropping. The room she had entered looked like a lab, except it was nearly full of Tenno artifacts. Ember walked further into the room, confused as to where the Grineer got these objects. "Ember!" a voice shouted in her ear. "Ember it's a trap! You need to get out of there!"

Ember's eyes went wide and she spun around, igniting herself and holstering Latron Wraith. Standing behind her were three figures that made Ember's blood run cold. The Gustrag Three. Sending an SOS, Ember drew Silva and expanded Aegis, the weapons igniting much like Ember. "Look, the little Tenno is scared!" one of the Grineer jeered. Ember raised Aegis, smirking as she felt the air start to heat up. Keep stalling fool. It only makes me more powerful. Ember thought.

The bulky one with the hammer, let out a roar and charged Ember, swinging his hammer. Ember hastily jumped back to avoid the hammer, only for a small rocket to strike her in the chest and send her crashing back. Ember felt a hand close around her neck and lift her up. "Look," the Grineer taunted her, turning her to face a very familiar pod. "Your friend gets to see your failure and your death!"

Ember threw her right hand behind her, a fireball launching from it into the face of the Grineer, the green Grineer dropping her and striking his face to put out the fire. Standing up slowly, Ember glared at the Grineer before her, Leekter and Vem Tabook if her memory served her correctly. Feeling her powers react to her anger, she felt her fire grow hotter. Silva was knocked out of her hand when she was flung back, and Aegis was almost useless here, so Ember folded it back up.

Deciding to do something she had only successfully done once, Ember concentrated her power into a shape. Watching in delight as a sword formed, Ember grabbed the hilt, feeling the heat coursing through it, and faced the Gustrag with a savage grin. Leekter took this as a challenge and charged Ember, ignoring the heat around him. Ember sidestepped his attack and ducked, a small rocket flying over her head.

Using the fact that Leekter's weapon was stuck in the floor, Ember used the weapon as a springboard, launching herself past Leekter at Vem Tabook. The Grineer tried to raise his shotgun, but Ember collided with him before he could do so. Vem Tabook grabbed Ember's neck, but Ember stabbed her sword down, the blade of fire burying deep into his skull, blinding him in his left eye. Vem Tabook through her off and grabbed his face, screaming in agony.

Ember expanded Aegis, wincing as she felt a number of rockets strike it. Ducking under Leekter's swing, Ember hastily drew Latron Wraith to fire at Shik Tal, only for a fist covered in stone to crash into the Grineer's face, sending him flying back. Leekter turned around to look at this new arrival, and Ember used this chance to summon another weapon made of fire. Leekter raised his hammer with a snarl. "You wish to die as well Tenno? So be it!" Before Leekter could charge, a spear made of fire pierced through the middle of his chest.

Having temporarily taking Leekter out of the fight, Ember turned towards Shik Tal, the only member of the Gustrag not having been wounded by Ember's fire. Shik Tal snarled. "You will not survive our next encounter!" Before Ember or the newcomer could respond, Shik Tal activated something and all of the Gustrag Three teleported away. Breathing heavily, Ember let Aegis fall off her arm and she dropped Latron Wraith.

A heavy smack to her back sent Ember crashing to the ground. Ember looked up, Atlas smirking down at her. "Don't tell me that was tough for you!" Ember glared at the Titan Tenno, accepting his hand up. Atlas looked to the cryopod. "So this is who we're here for?" Ember gave an affirmatory noise. "Well don't just sit there, let them out!" Ember looked at Atlas in shock. "Yes you. You fought the Gustrag Three for this reason, so of course it should be you."

Ember walked up to the cryopod and activated it, stepping back as it opened with a hiss. The doors opened to reveal an odd-looking woman. When the woman fell forward Ember caught her, gently placing her on the floor of the lab. "This is Ember and Atlas," Ember said into her comms, looking up at the Titan Tenno, Atlas observing the new Tenno. "The mission is a success." Ember grabbed one of the unconscious Tenno's arms and lifted her up, Atlas grabbing her other arm. "It would be faster to leave in my orbiter, seeing as how you sent yours away. I'll lead the way," Atlas stated.

* * *

Ember grumbled as Trinity poked her ribs, the chief doctor insistent on checking her wounds. "Be silent Ember. This is mandatory." Ember sighed. "I said I'm fine!" Ember yelped and shifted when Trinity jabbed her side with a little too much force. "You have serious bruising and a potential broken rib. That is not what I would call fine." Ember looked at Harrow with a hopeful expression. Harrow shook his head. "I am taking Trinity's side this time." Ember glared at Harrow, the Void Tenno chuckling.

"Where's Oberon?" Ember questioned Trinity. "Oberon is currently visiting his wife, so he can't help you either. Now sit still and be silent. You are the only one that has resisted a check-up." Ember sighed and sat still, wincing as Trinity poked her. "You should be proud of yourself," Trinity said quietly. Ember looked at her in confusion. "A lot of your fellow Tenno didn't believe you would succeed."

Ember scoffed. "That's nothing new. Most of them have hated me since we first met." Trinity briefly glanced at Harrow, the Void Tenno meeting her gaze. "You did almost kill three of us when we first met." Ember angrily pushed Trinity, the healer barely moving. "Not you too!" Trinity smiled apologetically. "None of you are willing to let me live that down, are you?!" Trinity shook her head with a small smile. "Don't you dare try and be apologetic." Trinity laughed.

Ember jumped as Harrow sat down next to the bed she was sitting on, the Void Tenno still silent. "You should speak to your fellow Tenno." Ember looked at Harrow with a blank expression. "Most of them know not what you are really like. We are among the few that do." Ember turned to stare at the wall, a frown on her face. "I won't make any promises." Harrow nodded, having expected this. "At the very least, speak to the Tenno you rescued. She has woken up and is being briefed by Excalibur."

Ember yelped and clutched her side when Trinity slapped it. "I healed your rib and the bruising should be gone in a few days. We're done here." Ember stood up from the medical bed and left the infirmary, glaring at Trinity the entire time.

* * *

Ember found Excalibur and the new Tenno in the armory. "..an interesting person. She appeared to have hair made of fire." Excalibur chuckled and Ember leaned against the wall, shamelessly eavesdropping. "Yeah that would be Ember. I'm sure you'll meet her eventually." Ember watched as the new Tenno picked up a weapon from the rack. "She does not seem the most confident in herself." Excalibur sighed heavily.

"She isn't. A few of your fellow Tenno don't like her, each with their own childish reason, and that dealt a severe blow to her self-confidence." The new Tenno made an inquisitive noise. "From the little time I observed her, she appears to be a great fighter." Excalibur looked at her in confusion. "You were asleep when they brought you in." The new Tenno nodded. "The cryopod released a gas that put me to sleep upon opening. Before the pod was opened, I was watching her fight. It was like watching an angel made of fire."

Excalibur choked in an attempt to hold back his laughter and Ember felt herself blush. Excalibur failed to hold his laughter in and doubled over. After he was done laughing, Excalibur stood back up and wiped tears from his eyes. Excalibur froze upon noticing Ember leaning against the wall. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked hesitantly. The Tenno next to him stiffened. Ember smirked lightly. "Enough." Excalibur rubbed the back of his neck, the atmosphere getting awkward fast.

"Ember, this is Equinox." Equinox turned around, her blush visible on her pale cheeks. "Equinox is the Duality Tenno." Intrigued, Ember stepped away from the wall and walked up to the other two Tenno. Ember used this time to observe Equinox. She had fairly long hair, half of it black and the other half white. She was dressed in what appeared to be robes, although not robes like Harrow or Baruuk. Harrow's robes were hooded and Baruuk's robes were that of a monk, but Equinox's robes were an interesting design. The color of her robes alternated, but one half was black and the other half was white, and there was no other color to her robes.

"Nice to meet you. As Excalibur said, I'm Ember. I'm the Ignition Tenno." Seeing Equinox's confused look, Ember elaborated. "Everything I do is based around fire. Unlike Frost and Volt, I'm very limited with what I can do with my abilities," Ember explained, forming a ball of fire between her hands. Bringing her hands together to extinguish the fire, Ember glanced at Excalibur, the Blade Tenno still not meeting her gaze. "So what are your abilities?" Equinox looked hesitant as she replied. "It differs between what form I am in."

"Form?" Ember questioned. "I have what I call a Day and a Night form. My Day form is aggressive and uncaring and my Night form is passive and protective of my friends or allies. It is complicated." Ember nodded slowly. "I'll take your word for it. Seeing as how you are in the armory, have you decided on a weapon?" Equinox looked at the arsenal. She pointed at a weapon the Tenno were given for assisting the Grineer against a Corpus invasion and a weapon that they had forged. "My Day form wants that and my Night form wants to use that." Ember grabbed the two weapons.

"Karak Wraith and Sybaris. Good weapons. Do you plan to use a melee weapon?" Equinox gave an awkward shrug. Ember stepped and looked over the available weapons. Grabbing a personal favorite of hers, she handed it to Equinox. "This is Anku. It's a weapon I enjoy, but you might like using it." Equinox held the scythe up and gave it an experimental swing. "It's light," she observed. Ember stepped next to Equinox and pressed a small button near the head of Anku. Equinox jumped as the blade popped out.

"You'll need to get someone else to mod your weapons, as I don't fully understand how to. My work here is done, so I bid the two of you goodbye," Ember said walking to the door. Opening the door and stepping outside, Ember looked back at Excalibur and Equinox. "Flaming angel out." The door closed after she said that, but Ember saw Equinox blush bright red.


End file.
